ATF: The Bear
by chronicler-of-knuckles
Summary: A take down goes bad. Wrote this a couple of years ago. Hoping it still had Hello!


**The Bear**  
By The Chronicler

It was a soft, brown bear with a little puff of white on its chest. A grizzly bear. With two black beaded eyes, one slightly scruffed from a hard hit at one time or another. The hard plastic nose had tiny teeth marks on it, a child's attempt to break the binky habit. Tiny, black rubber claws added to the stuff toy's vicious look, which was strikingly contrasted by the bright red stitched grin. It was the most typical, most popular, most loved toy for boys and girls everywhere around the world.

But one little itty bitty thing made this one different.

A big, burn blackened bullet hole that went straight through the bear's chest.

ATF Special Agent Ezra Standish leaned across the bar so as to look through the hole. He squinted at the bottles and mirrors behind the bar, fuzzed slightly by stray furs that had survived the scorching bullet that had, only hours earlier, ripped through the bear.

"Hey, Ez, are you sure you're alright?" Inez asked for the umpteenth time.

Ezra glanced up at her. "As soon as you refill that glass I'll be picture perfect." he answered.

"I think you've had too much to drink." Inez answered, hesitant to fill the whiskey glass for a fifth dose.

Ezra straightened up. Tugging on his jacket, he tried to look his very best. "My dear lady, I have had too much villains, too much guns, too much bullets, too much poor grammar, too much of Mr. Wilmington's ceaseless droll attempts at levity, and far too much of well-to-doers instructing me on this and that." He barked out a completely uncharacteristic laugh. "Hell, the one thing I have not had too much of is drink. Now, if you don't mind...?" He pushed the empty glass toward her.

Inez stared at him for a moment, but, when his emerald eyes darted to the glass then back at her, expectantly, she sighed and reached for the bottle.

Even as Ezra watched her pour, he knew it wasn't working. He came here to get drunk and to forget. But, damn it all to hell, it wasn't working. Just the opposite in fact. While the here and now was getting fuzzier and fuzzier, the damn memories were becoming even clearer than when the first accord.

It was a perfect set up, a perfect bust. Everything was going just right. The boys were just outside waiting for the signal. Ezra had the badguys right up close, speaking right into the hidden camera, burring themselves in so much legal shit that it be faster if they waved reading the charges and just took life imprisonment. Damn, these guys were bragging like there was no tomorrow, copping to nearly every gun deal from the Canadian boarder to Brazil, with a little bootlegging on the side. Ah, oh, and kidnapping, rape, murder, and basic mayhem on their vacations.

Ezra should of known. Anyone smart enough to aim a gun in the general right direction was not going to blab all that and just let him walk away.

So, when the elder brother paused as he walked away, turning back with that stupid grin, Ezra should of seen it coming. "One more thing, Dominik." he called, using Ezra's undercover handle, as he took aim at the agent.

Ezra froze, eyes narrowing. "Really? And what is this, Mr. Jonus? Something going down that I am unaware of?" Immediately, he heard Chris in his ear piece.

"You heard him, boys. That's our signal! Move in!"

All he had to do was keep the villain from pulling the trigger for thirty short seconds.

Again, he should of known, when anything can go wrong, there is nothing short about thirty seconds.

A tin bang to Ezra's left.

Both men's heads snapped about, Jonus' gun following his startled movements.

A little girl, maybe eight years old, stood there, a teddy bear clutched before her in her tiny little hands.

Ezra glanced at Jonus.

The villain was pulling the trigger.

"No!" Ezra yelled, spinning back and diving at the child.

Just as he scooped up the child, an explosion rocked his world, spinning both of them around. His own momentum skidded them across the hard, concrete floor, leaving a trail of scraped skin and blood.

As soon as they had stopped, Ezra quickly sat up, clutching the little girl to his chest.

Jonus was coming at them, ready to take another shot, finish off all witnesses.

Ezra opened his hand, his derringer slapping into the palm of his hand. It came up as Jonus was taking aim. The agent fired.

Jonus jerked, his shot sparking and skidding across the concrete a hair's breath pass Ezra's hip. But he didn't go down.

Ezra fired his second and final bullet.

Again Jonus jerked, but did not go down. Again he took aim.

But three bullets hit him, spinning him about, another bullet nailed him from the other direction. Which ever of the six shots actually got around to killing the big man, Ezra would never know, would never care. He went down. He was dead. He was no longer a threat to the little, innocent child in his arms.

Some more shots were heard as the other six of ATF Team 7 took care of the three other Jonus brothers and their henchmen.

But Ezra was unaware beyond that of what was going on, his full attention on the child.

"Hey, sweety." Ezra whispered, gently shaking the little girl. "Are you alright?"

But she didn't answer. Tucked protectively in his arm, she remainedstill, her tiny almond shaped eyes lightly closed, her little red lips slightly parted.

For a moment, Ezra didn't understand. Running his fingers through her tight little red curls, he searched for a reason for this child's stillness. And then he saw it...

A precious teddy bear with a vicious black hole through its middle.

"Oh, my god." the agent gasped. He rolled the child back, looking the tiny, fragile body back. Her front was covered with blood. "Oh, my god." he repeated, panic clutching at his heart. He had to help! He had to get her help! He had to find her some help! "Nathen." he gasped. When there was no immediate answer, he yelled at the top of his lungs "NATHEN! HELP!"

Unaware of what was going on around him, Ezra had been completely unaware that the shooting had stopped and his name had been being called. His scream brought his teammates running.

"Shit." Buck swore. "Where the hell did she come from?" he wanted to know.

Ezra looked up at him, shock settling in and taking over. "N... Nathen?" he asked.

"Right here, Ez." Nathen was quick to respond. "Are you alright? Were you shot?"

Ezra glared at him. Why the hell was he asking about him when there was a child bleeding to death in his arms?

"You've gotta let her go, Ezra." Nathen encouraged. "Give her to me. I'll take care of her."

Again Ezra glared. What was he talking about? What the hell was wrong with him? Why wasn't he helping her? Why... "Let her go?" Emerald eyes dropped, seeing that he still clutched the unconscious girl in his arms. Numbly, he lifted the light little bundle and handed her over to the medic.

Josiah was there and helped Nathen to his feet so that he could move under the light. Buck followed them, looking over their shoulders as they worked on her.

Ezra was left alone, staring at this little bear with a big black hole laying on the cold concrete floor. Strangely enough, he couldn't feel anything except the warmth from where the little, innocent victim had laid in his arms. He couldn't hear anything but the screaming of his own mind: You should of known! Should of moved faster! Should of gone after him! Should of just stepped in front of the bullet! Should of argued to make the meet elsewhere! Should of just shot the bastard on sight! Should of...'

Ezra grabbed the bear and clutched to his chest as if it was the little girl. Slowly climbing to his feet, he somehow found his way outside.

"Ez?" That was J.D. The boy was shoving a surviving villain into the back of a police can. "What's going on in there?" he wanted to know with his little boy curiosity.

Ezra looked at him, blinked, then climbed into his car and drove away.

"Hey! Ezra! Where ya goin'?" J.D. yelled after him, but his fellow agent was already long gone.

"Ezra!" Nathen yelled, running out of the warehouse.

"He's gone." J.D explained.

"What do you mean gone?" the medic demanded.

"Gone! Got-into-his-car-and-drove-away gone." J.D. explained, irritated that "He's gone." hadn't been explanation enough. "Hey, who's that?" he wanted to know, looking passed Nathen to Josiah who was caring a crying little girl out and toward an ambulance.

"Where's my grizzly? I wan' my grizzly!" she was crying at the top of her little lungs.

Chris came running over as soon as he had heard the child. Pausing when he saw the blood, then he threw a look at Nathen.

The medic shook his head. "Not her blood." he assured.

Chris' eyes narrowed. He glanced around, counting his men as they gathered in front of him. "Where's Ezra?"

----------

Ezra tapped his glass on the bar. "Fill 'er up, pretty lady." he slurred.

Inez put her hands on her hips. Enough was enough. "No." she answered.

Ezra's eyes narrowed.

Inez glared back, knowing that, if he had been sober, that would of been a dangerous look... if he had been sober.

But the agent's jaw hardened, his shoulders squared up, ready to make a protest.

Inez eyes brightened as she looked over his head. "Chris. Nathen."

Ezra groaned.

"Ezra, buddy." Nathen quickly came to his side. "What are you doing here?" he wanted to know, looking his friend up and down. Ignoring the drunk man's glare, he started to peal his clothes away.

A sharp pain sliced through Ezra's dulled mind, but decided to blame Nathen and then ignore it. Then reached for his still emptied glass.

Chris pushed the glass out of reach, nodding a thanks to Inez as she picked it up.

Straightening up, Ezra turned a brave face to his boss. "I know I screwed up. You'll have my resig... res... resign... I quit!"

"Ezra." Chris took the man by the shoulders, holding him steady as he tried to stand on his own. "The girl is alright. She wasn't shot. Just a bump on the head when the two of you fell."

Ezra frowned. Well, that didn't make any sense. "But... but the blood..."

"Your blood. You were shot."

The undercover man's eyes narrowed. "I was shot?" he asked.

"Oh, god, Ezra!" Inez cried, seeing for the first time the blood that had soaked the man's shirt under his dress jacket.

Ezra's smile was a shock to everyone. "Well, damn, isn't that something." he mumbled, then fell forward, unconscious into Chris' arms.

----------

2 days later...

There was a knock on the door then it opened.

a little girl with red curls, almond shaped eyes and cute little red lips poked her head into Ezra's hospital room. "Hi, Ez." she greeted, happily, skipping into the room.

Ezra smiled. "Greetings, Miss Rachel." He winced slightly as she climbed up onto the bed beside him and leaned into his side.

Nathen quickly lifted his I.V. up and out of the way. "Hi, Rach." he offered with a grin.

Those pretty little eyes flashed at each of the other six men, before refocusing on her one and only hero.

Again Ezra winced as she snuggled in, but, when Nathen moved in to warn her off, he shook his head. He could take the pain if it meant she wasn't in any.

"Mama's comin' to take me home today." rachel told them. "But Chrissy said you had a present fer me." She grinned up at him. "I'd of come to say bye-bye anyways, you know."

Ezra smiled. "Well... J.D.?"

"Here you go, kiddo." J.D. handed her her teddy bear.

It was a soft, brown bear with a little puff of white on its chest. A grizzly bear. With two black beaded eyes, one slightly scruffed from a hard hit at one time or another. The hard plastic nose had tiny teeth marks on it, a child's attempt to break the binky habit. Tiny, black rubber claws added to the stuff toy's vicious look, which was strikingly contrasted by the bright red stitched grin. It was the most typical, most popular, most loved toy for boys and girls everywhere around the world.

But one little itty bitty thing made this one different.

It was wearing a tiny, black ATF bullet proof vest.

Rachel laughed, hugging the bear with all her might.


End file.
